Helen Lea Moose began taking dance lessons at the age of 4, and her passion for dance was ignited. As a teenager, she knew wholeheartedly she wanted to be a professional dancer, but when it came time to prepare for college her father wanted her to “have a real job.” Being the middle daughter of five girls and having an older sister who was an art major, she understood, and did as her father wished.
As she contemplated her future career, she visited a fellow dancer who was going through cancer treatment. This experience gave her a behind-the-scenes glimpse of medicine. Her curiosity was piqued, and she entered college as a pre-med major. Things were humming along until organic chemistry, which prompted her to table medical school and seek a different path.
Helen hadn’t planned to be a nurse, but she applied to University of Illinois Chicago’s nursing program with a desire to work in oncology and was accepted. But she graduated at a time when securing a nursing job was practically impossible. Medicare changes implemented in 1983 drastically reduced hospital reimbursements, causing dire financial constraints that led to hiring freezes, layoffs and the restructuring of nursing staff.
Helen was not deterred, so she and a girlfriend moved to New York where they were both hired at Colombia Presbyterian Hospital. She gained valuable nursing experience while continuing to fuel her passion by taking ballet classes.
Eventually, Helen returned to Springfield. The employment environment had recovered, and she gained experience in intensive care nursing, home health and labor and delivery, which would usher her into a whole new world. She also met her husband, David, during that time and describes him as “a farmer who took the city girl to the country.”
While raising two young children and working two 12-hour night shifts each week, Helen applied to UIC’s women’s health nurse practitioner program in Peoria. It would be there that she met Bonnie Cox, a pioneering midwife who fought to become one of the first certified nurse-midwives in the Peoria area. She asked Helen if she had considered midwifery as it would only be a few extra courses and 20 deliveries prior to sitting for board exams. Helen’s concern was that nobody in Springfield was offering midwifery. That would soon change.
Helen began her midwifery practice in 1999, at a time when it was difficult for uninsured women to get prenatal care. She worked with the Macoupin County Health Department to establish Central Counties Health Center, a grant-funded prenatal clinic located in Girard – the only clinic to provide vital prenatal care between Springfield and Carlinville. Helen said the clinic served more than 300 pregnant women in the first year. The area saw a significant decrease in pre-term deliveries due to women receiving high-quality prenatal care. While the Girard clinic is no longer open, Southern Illinois University’s Center for Family Medicine later established a prenatal clinic at Central Counties Health Center in Springfield, which is still open today.
Helen pioneered the availability of midwifery in Springfield when she became the first certified nurse midwife to obtain privileges at both Memorial Medical Center and St. John’s Hospital. Memorial required 50 deliveries, so she went to Chicago for three weeks where she could deliver that many babies in a short time. Earning privileges was not easy – nor should it be, she said – but meeting the requirements and completing that paperwork took another five years. She persevered, due to her strong desire to provide women and their unborn children prenatal care that had never been available to them in Springfield. Helen said this is the most rewarding aspect of being a nurse midwife.
June Wood Agamah, logistics coordinator of International Health & Development Network and a former Women of Influence recipient herself, nominated Helen for this award. She spoke of Helen’s ability to be a trailblazer.
“Helen embodies the definition of influence. She has been a catalyst for change in whatever situation she finds herself. Her empathy, determination and grit have allowed her to chart a course for change locally and internationally – whether its creating access to care for underserved and uninsured women in Sangamon County or traveling on mission trips to Ghana and Moshie, Tanzania. It’s a joy to observe her interact, teach and influence the OBGYN nurses and midwives there,” June said.
“Helen’s leadership has impacted the birth and wellbeing of many women and children. Helen does not know a stranger. She is an incredible person to get to know. Her beautiful smile and kind, engaging behavior speaks volumes to strangers and those who know her. She will forever be appreciated,” she said.
Helen’s professional career began with working closely with patients and grew into being a nurse educator and professor. She has held positions on countless boards, including those at the state level, that guide credentialing of midwife programs.
Through it all, she and her husband raised three children and learned that each day is precious and to live it to the fullest – and they do. Helen says they begin their days in the hot tub, sipping hot tea and catching up with each other.
Helen may not have become a professional dancer, but she is currently enjoying an adult ballet class. And her father’s guidance led her to a “real job” that has been more impactful than she could have imagined. Helen recalled the wise words of her mother: “Things have a way of working out. You have to be open to opportunity.”
This article appears in Women of Influence 2026.